Rail fitting



March 30 1926.

Y A. R. SPIKINGS RAIL FITTING Filed March 4,, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1jiwenfar March 30,1926. 1,579,159

U A. R. SPIKINGS RAIL FITTING Filed March 4. 1924 2 Shecs-Sheet 2Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

an a er RAIL FITTIHGn.

Application filed March 4, 1924'. Serial No. 696,847.

' Beit known that I, ALnnRrRIoI-IARI) SPIK- INGS, a. citizenofthe UnitedStates residing at Lake PlacidCl'ub, in the county of Essex and State ofNew York, haveinventedcertai-n new and useful Improvementsin RailFittings, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings; I

Thisinvention relates to certain improvements in railfittings and it isan object of the invention to provide a novel and improveddevice of thisgeneral character whereby the adjacent end portions of railings maybereadily and eifectively connected or coupled one to the other inaccordance with the requirements of practice.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel and; improvedfitting of this general character whereby the-rails may be" operati'vely" engaged with a supporting post therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fittingof this generalcharacter em- 25 bodying novel and improved meanswhereby adjacent railsmay be coupled orconnected in alignment and in desired angularrelation.Y

The invention also has for an object to provide anovel and improvedfitting which i maybe easily adjusted, quickly assembled and taken apartto permit the railing-section to=be taken out: and replaced withoutinterfering with tlie reinain ing railing sections. The invention alsocontemplates for an object to provide a novel and improved fitting whichobviates-the use of screws rivets; bolts or the like and also thenecessity of cutting long threads or grooves onthe ends of the railingsections or the making of raised beads on such-v ends and thereby avoiding thenecessity-of'using the extra' tools required which wouldnecessarily be required.

The invention consists in the details of" construction; and in thecombination and an rangement of the several parts of my improved railfitting whereby certain importa-nt advantages are attainedand the devicerendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient andadvantageous for use, as will be" hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel; features of my invention will hereinafter be definitelyclaimed;

In order that my invention may; be the betterunderstoothl willnowproceed to describe the same with reference to the accom- I ofmyinvention, an associated cap or plug being shown in separated relation";

Figure 3 isa sectional view takenthrougli my improvedfitting withcertain of the parts omitted;

Figure d is a sectional view taken substantially' on the lined-4" ofFigure Qwith a furtherportion broken away;

Figurefiis a view in elevation of the litner face of one of the capsherein disclosed;

FigureG is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the body of myimproved fitting; V

Figure 7' is avi'ew partly in section and partly in elevationillustrating a fittingicon structed in accordance with afurther-embodiment of my invention;

Figure-Sisa view in top, plan of the socket member as disclosedi'nF'igure 7;;

Figure Elisa. fragmentary viewpartly in section and partly in elevationillustrating; a still furtherembodiment of my inventiong Figure 10-isaview int-op plan illustrating an assembly wherein aplurality ofangularly related railing sections are engagedtwith a singlefitting. Asparticularly illustrated in Figures to-6'inclusive, my improved fittingcomprises a mainbody'memberor shell; I having: disposed axiallytherethrough a cylindrical memberQ, one end portion beingsecuredby" theinterposed web 3 with: an adjacent. end portion of -the body or shell 1.Themember 2 is also further lield'in desired posit-ion with respectto-the body member or shell 1 by the radially disposed webs or flanges 4integrally formed with the tubular member 2 and the body or shell 1.

The member 2 and the webs 1 extend outwardly a predetermined distancebeyond the open end of the body or member 1 with the webs terminating apredetermined distance inwardly of the adjacent end of the member 2 asparticularly illustrated in Figure (3. The open end of the body or shell1 is adapted to be closed by the head 5 the free marginal edges of whichinterlocking with the adjacent edges of tire body or shell 1 asindicated at (5. The head 5 is held in applied position with respect tothe body or shell 1 by the nut 7 threaded upon the extended end portionof the tubular member 2 as is clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and a ofthe drawings.

As is illustrated in Figures 2 and 6, the opposite end portions of themember 2 are internally threaded, as at 8, to permit the body or shell 1to be operatively engaged with a supporting post 9 or the like and whenthe body or shell 1 is uppermost, the upper end of the tubular member 2of such fitting is adapted to be closed by the plug or cap 10 asparticularly shown in Figures 1, 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.Each of the side faces of the body or shell 1 and the associated face ofthe head 5 has disposed therethrough an opening 11 to provide meanswhereby a socket member 12 may be operatively engaged with the fitting,said socket member being herein disclosed as provided in one end portionwith an annular groove or channel 11 to receive the portions of thefaces of the body or shell 1 and head 5 defining such opening. As isparticularly illustrated in Figure '1 the upper or open portion of theopening 11 in the face or wall of the body or shell 1 has the opposededges thereof in parallelism, as at 15, in order to facilitate thedesired mounting or removal of the socket member 12.

The outer portion of the member 12 is provided with a socket 16 in whichis adapted to have threaded engagement an end portion of a railingsection 1'? herein disclosed as a pipe and as the member 12 is rotatablysupported by the body or shell such connection of the member 12 with arailing section 17 may be readily effected by rotation of the member 12.

In the embodiment of the invention as particularly illustrated in Figure9 the socket member 12 is provided with the lugs 18 snugly engagingwithin the spaces otherwise afforded by the parallel edge portions 15whereby tle socket 12 is held against rotation with respect to the bodyor shell 1.

In Figure 10 of the drawings, 1 show a railing section 17 operativelyengaged with each of the faces of the body or shell 1 but when suchsections are operatively engaged with only certain of the faces, as isillus trated in Figures 1 and 1, the openings 11 in the unused faces ofthe body or shell are closed by the caps 19. Each of these caps 19 isdefined by a marginal flange 20 to overlie the outer surfaces of theassociated faces of the body or shell 1 and head 5 and with the. alignedperipheral lugs 21 to engage the inner surfaces. With the head 5 inseparated relation with respect to the body or shell 1, these caps 19may be readily applied or removed.

in the embodiment of my invention as particularly illustrated in Figures7 and 8, the socket member 12 is opcratively engagcd with a face or wallof the member or shell 1 in the same manner as hereinbefore stated withrespect to the socket member 12'. The socket member 12, however, is of atype to receive a ball 22 arranged at the outer end of a shank 23carried by a railing section 17. The shank 23 is disposed through andhas sliding movement within a slot 21 provided in the wall of the socketmember 12 and as said member 12 is capable of rotary movement withrespect to the body member or shell, it will be readily seen that therailing section 17 has universal connection therewith so that therailing section can be disposed on a desired incline with respect to thefitting or more particularly a supporting post 9 therefor.

The outer edge portions of the slot 24- may be rounded for neatness andto facilitate the operative engagement of the ball 22 with the socketmember 12.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a railfitting con structed in accordance with my invention is particularlywell adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility withwhich it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious thatmy invention is susceptible of some change and modification withoutdeparting from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason Ido not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precisearrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carryingout my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

is also to be particularly noted that a fitting constructed inaccordance with an embodiment of my invention is of such a character toas e proper alignment or relation of the various parts irrespective ofsuch expansion or contraction which may occur during hot and coldweather.

I claim LL rail fitting comprising a shell, a tubular member disposedtherethrough and spaced from the face walls of the shell, the tubularmember being internally threaded at each end for connecting railsthereto and externally threaded at one end thereof, means of the socketmembers, and a nut engaging for maintaining the shell and tubular memtheexternal threads of the tubular member her in assembled relation, theface Walls of for holding the head in applied position. 10 the shellbeing provided With openings, In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my 5socket members having recesses engageable gn Within the openings of saidface Walls, a removable head engageable With the recesses ALBERT RICHARDSPIKINGS.

